PNY is rounding out its portfolio with a ruggedized SSD. Available this April, the highly-portable PNY RP60 is built for the elements and offers transfer rates up to 2 GBps. Pricing starts at just $100 for the 1TB model.
Like other rugged portable SSDs, the PNY RP60 boasts an IP65 dust and water resistance rating and can endure a drop from up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) in height. These durability specs are identical to those of the Samsung T7 Shield or SanDisk Extreme, though the RP60 also features a rubber exterior and a built-in ring for carabiners, backpacks, or belt loops. It also has a dust cover over its USB-C port.
Speed-wise, the PNY RP60 looks to be a winner. It uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 interface and offers read speeds of 2,000 MBps. Write speeds clock in at a respectable 1,800MBps—perfect for recalling large photos, videos, or other files for editing. The previously-mentioned Samsung and SanDisk drives are comparatively slow, with read speeds of 1050 MBps and write speeds of just 1,000 MBps.
You can connect the RP60 to any device that supports USB-C external storage, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. PNY says that the drive is intended for “creative wanderlusts and on-the-go professionals,” and I’m inclined to agree. It’s something that you might use for photos, videos, audio, or other large files that need to be transferred without a long wait. However, if you don’t need high-speed file transfer, the RP60 might be overkill.
The SSD’s pricing is also attractive. You can buy a 1TB model for $99 or a 2TB unit for $199—that’s about what you’d pay for the Samsung and SanDisk drives I keep mentioning. Though I should note that the ultra-portable PNY EliteX-Pro is also just $100. If you care about probability more than ruggedization, go on and shop around, as the PNY RP60 is just one of many SSDs in this price bracket.
PNY will begin selling the RP60 in April 2024. The company has yet to open pre-orders and hasn’t listed the product on its web store.
Source: PNY
